Right Beside You
by Saiph Nebula
Summary: A two part Zidane/Dagger fluff fic. Set during their visit to Madain Sari the night following Dagger getting her memories back . A short look at the two dealing with their evolving friendship, loyalty, duty and love... friendship/romance/comfort. Complete
1. Chapter 1

Right Beside You

Part 1

The sky was clear but for the stars shimmering almost as brightly as the moon itself. Dagger sighed, watching the reflection of the great, round orb ripple around her in the pool of water she stood immersed in. It reached her chest comfortably, lapping at her shoulders in gentle rocking motions. She could feel rough sand beneath her toes each time she wriggled them. In the distance, familiar ruins stood out against the horizon; the glow of the moon making them stand out with a luminescent radiance. Where the scene had once caused her enough distress to pass out, for some reason the image now soothed her more then she could understand. Its shine reminded her of the Great Sword that watched over the Kingdom of Alexandria so proudly. For a second, she felt her heart tug in her chest as if it were trying to move in two different directions. But both sides seemed to whisper the same thing to her, one word; "_Home_".

Dagger ran her hand over her bare arms and to her shoulders until she found herself hugging herself tightly, a shiver running down her spine. There was no chill in the air, but she still found herself growing cold in the water, it's tepid warmth bringing no comfort to her shivering figure.

A voice suddenly echoed across the water's surface, "You'll catch a cold if you stay in there much longer."

Dagger gasped, spinning on reflex to identify the voices' owner. Not that she didn't already know, the tenor of that voice was one she had grown to recognise well. One whose soft but confident lilt that had even begun to plague her dreams. Not that she would ever admit that.

"_Zidane_!" She gasped, accidentally swallowing a mouthful of sea water. Dagger choked as her throat burned in protest, her stomach heaving slightly at the foul taste. "What... are you... _doing?"_ she finally managed to stutter, swirling back round to face in the opposite direction, her back towards the dock's entrance to the cave. Both her arms came up to conceal her chest, even though she knew it was too dark to see anything beneath the water's surface.

The shadow seemed to sway slightly as it moved closer. What Dagger couldn't see was Zidane pushing himself off the rock-side he'd been leant upon and take a few steps towards her with his back turned. The young thief had been called many things in his sixteen short years, 'womaniser' being the kinder of them all, but he knew when (and how) to be a gentleman when it was called for.

"Eiko fell asleep. I assume she was supposed to be on guard while you bathed"

Dagger, thankful for the darkness in the cave's entrance as her cheeks flushed with blood, cringed at the easy tone of his voice. It was safe to assume that she would not be the first woman he'd seen in a state of undress, and regardless of the changes she'd been through on their journey so far, flaunting her own womanly assets in front of him was not something she felt comfortable with!

"You should leave!" she huffed, surprised to find the old 'royal tone' of her voice weaker then usual in her protests.

The sound of Zidane's feet shifting against the ground told her he was moving closer, as in, _not_ leaving.

"Zidane, I told you-"

"I know but I can't just leave you out here alo – whoa! Oh cr-"

The sound of a splash large enough to send a huge wave against Dagger's back and over her head reverberated around the cave loudly. Alarmed, Dagger found herself twisting in the water, trying to identify the noise. Had some creature spotted her bathing and leapt in to attack?

"Zidane?" she stammered, seeing nothing but darkness and the odd shimmer of light on the water's waves, "This isn't funny!" she hissed, attempting to stamp her foot (rather unsuccessfully) underwater.

Silence. It filled the cave around her like a physical force.

Panicked now, thinking whatever creature has just dived into the water with her had taken Zidane with it, Dagger began wading back towards the wooden dock with only the light of the moon to guide her way. She'd gotten herself turned around when Zidane had entered, and now she couldn't remember which direction the dock was!

Suddenly, something warm and rough gripped her left calf. Dagger screamed, the sound piercing her own ears as it bounced off the rock walls. Acting out of instinct, she used all the strength she could muster to bring back her right knee and thrust it forward. The movement was slowed by the water, but it still connected with something solid. Something that emitted a burst of bubbles on impact.

Dagger stumbled backwards, sliding as the rough terrain under her feet changed to smooth stone. For the second time that night, she slid under the surface and gulped down more salty water. This time it filled her nose and made her eyes, which were still wide open with fear, sting mercilessly.

Something began moving towards her, swimming forward with an effortless grace. Dagger rose both hands to fend it off, but only found them quickly trapped in a tight grip as she was pulled upwards roughly.

Two heads broke the surface. Dagger coughed and spluttered incessantly as a hand thumped against her back, her chest heaving as she tried to find what had attacked her...

Once her eyes were clear of water, though still feeling quite sore, Dagger was able to focus her sight on the figure in front of her. A row of white, shiny teeth told her that someone was grinning at her... as she stood naked to the waist in front of them. They'd moved far enough into the cave that the water no longer reached her chest.

"Oh!" she cried, ducking down to cover herself once more, "Zidane, of all the- what the- will you STOP LOOKING!" she bellowed. Above her, the shape that had 'attacked' her underwater began laughing fiendishly.

"You should have seen your face!" Zidane chuckled.

"Oh yes, I'm quite sure it was my _face _you were looking at! In the name of Alexander, I'm _naked_ Zidane!"

"Yes, I had noticed"

Dagger's blush was only stopped by the sheer... bizarreness of their situation. She had never been nude in front of anyone but her chambermaids and her own mother. _Never_ in front of a man! She knew she should feel embarrassed and shamed... that was what she'd always been told about exposing oneself to any male who was not her husband or a doctor. But even as Zidane's laughter subsided and he turned to give grant her a little privacy, Dagger felt neither emotion. Well, she _was_ embarrassed. But strangely... not as much as she thought she should be. It was a different sort of anxiety to what she'd always thought she'd feel to be seen... like this. Naked. Exposed. Vulnerable.

It was then that she realised, she really didn't mind being undressed in the water... with Zidane.

Her cheeks grew pink for a very different reason then.

Zidane seemed to shift uneasily, making the water ripple up and over Dagger's chin. She kept her mouth tightly shut, not wanting to experience another mouthful of the sickening liquid.

"Dammit, which way was the walkway... straight opposite the entrance?"

"Zidane..." Dagger said quietly from her position, balled up with her legs pulled to her chest, "Did you... _fall_ _in the water_?"

The humour was evident in her voice, which was something that made Zidane's tail swish rapidly in the air just an arms reach in front of her. It sprinkled sea water on her face slightly.

His jaw clenched, though she couldn't see it. Zidane and hoped she would forget about that minor mishap in the shock that followed him grabbing her underwater. Zidane shrugged, trying to appear casual about the whole thing, "Well it's dark in here! Oh, and er, about... me latching onto you like that..." he began a little awkwardly, "I wasn't trying to feel you up or anything, it was too dark to see what's what under there and I thought you were of the dock's posts!"

His explanation went unheard as Dagger let out a peal of laughter, "You _fell in_!"

"Actually, I tripped! It's different!" he protested, forgetting himself for just a second; but it was long enough for him to turn in the water and earn a shriek from Dagger, still giggling madly at his uncharacteristic clumsiness. Half for her own entertainment, and half out of annoyance at his audacity, Dagger rocked back and lifted her feet, sweeping Zidane's legs out from under him so he ended up toppling into the water with his arms and legs flailing in the air.

Momentarily shocked by her own actions, Dagger merely stared at the large circle of bubbles and waves until Zidane's sodden head and shoulders appeared in front of her again. He stared at her with such astonishment that she found herself erupting into giggles all over again!

"You _dunked _me!" he all but shouted in his surprise, "I, Zidane Tribal, have been _dunked _by her Royal Highness, Garnet 'til Alexandros! Wait until I tell the press, 'Royal off the rails!'"

"Shush!" Garnet hushed, waving her arms wildly and looking around as if expecting someone to jump out out of the shadows. Zidane was right, what a scandal! Bathing with a… a...

The word 'commoner' settled with unease in Dagger's mind as she thought of it. Zidane was anything but common, though his birth might class him as such. The thought had something of a sobering effect on her, stopping the laughter in her throat almost immediately.

Zidane picked up quickly on the change of atmosphere. Dagger had very suddenly reverted back to her former position, balled up against the side of the cave with her chin tucked in behind her knees. The water once again covering all but her shoulders and upwards.

"I'll er, I'll let you finish up then" he began, standing up unsteadily.

Dagger's eyes, looking even bigger then usual with the reflected moonlight shining off them, snapped up quickly to Zidane's shadowed face.

"Wait!" she burst out, "I mean... if Eiko's asleep, someone has to stand guard"

Zidane's shoulders lifted in a shrug, "I can go wake up Vivi. He's a pretty powerful little tyke and I don't think he'll even notice you're..." he made a gesturing motion towards her lower half before giving up with a shrug and finishing his sentence with a lame, "...notice... _you_"

Dagger swallowed with a little difficulty, feeling the scratches from the salt in her throat itch. "There's no need to wake any one up now. It's late. Besides, I don't mind you being here."

Keeping his eyes firmly fixed above the water (with some effort!) Zidane's eyebrows rose to his hairline. He'd assumed that once Dagger had gotten over the shock of him... dropping in on her like he did, she'd immediately order him away. The fact that she was pretty much inviting him to stay...

What was the harm in pushing his luck just a little bit further?

"Alrighty then" he nodded, and proceeded to unbutton his waistcoat and pull the cuffs from his wrists.

Dagger's eyes bulged in disbelief, "What are you doing!?" she gasped.

Zidane chuckled low in his throat, "Well, I usually bathe with my clothes _off_ you see. Not that they couldn't use a wash mind you, think Eiko would do it for a hug?"

"It's not fair to tease her" Dagger scolded.

Zidane waded away into the water, the waves reaching dangerously low on his waist as he threw his wet clothes up onto the dock. Dagger only just managed to pull her eyes away in time to avoid seeing him shimmy out of the rest of his dust-ridden attire, his tail winding down to curl around his thigh. The sound of water being moved as he returned made Dagger shiver, though not through coldness. In fact, she was quite warm now.

He settled himself down in the shallow bed of water a full bodies length from Dagger, stretching his legs out over the stone so his toes once again reached sand. As if it were perfectly normal to bathe naked in the sea with royalty, he began running his hands over his arms and shoulders, whistling a familiar tune.

Dagger smiled, still keeping her eyes focused on the moon that was slowly disappearing from the caves mouth as she recognised her song.

It wasn't long before his whistling was joined with Dagger's humming as she soon grew used to his presence beside her. The song, the location, the people she was surrounded by; Dagger found herself soothed by the knowledge that everything here just seemed to... to _fit_. Like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle she didn't even know were missing in the first place.

"Where's a back scrubber when you need one eh?" she heard Zidane mutter to himself. Dagger risked a wary glance back in his direction to find him scowling at the water. "Salt's making my tail itch" he continued, "Screw this. I'm going for a swim... don't kick me this time!"

Dagger made a face as he stood up and easily slid into deeper waters. Pushing his arms out in front of him, Zidane suddenly disappeared into the inky darkness.

She waited for three heartbeats before moving, slipping back into the dark depths herself and taking a deep breath before letting herself float down, down to the sandy bottom where she could see only black and silver night.

It didn't take long for a familiar shadow to reach her side, his long arm stretching out underwater to take her hand. Dagger was more then relieved that it was impossible to see anything but each other's silhouettes against the black backdrop of the ocean. She let herself be led through the water, swimming with all the grace she'd been taught as a princess. When the need for air became too great, she tugged twice on the warm hand in hers and directed them both upwards.

When they broke the surface, Dagger found the night to be much brighter then before. Gazing around, she saw that the reason for this was that they were no longer shadowed by the cave. Zidane had swum them both out into the open sea, so far out that it's sandy bottom was no longer reachable with their feet.

The both kept kicking against the calm tide, their arms waving side to side to stay above the waves.

"You okay?" Zidane asked, sounding a little breathless.

Dagger smiled in reassurance, tearing her eyes from the view of what had been her very first home to Zidane's face. Without the cover of the cave the moonlight made things much easier to see. She scanned the hard cut line of his jaw, the way his blonde hair looked darker now it was wet and sticking to his forehead and cheeks. Long strands that had fallen loose of his low ponytail reached his shoulders, clinging to his neck. Water dripped down the hard curves of his face, and Dagger had the inexplicable urge to reach forward and kiss those drops away...

"I've never swum like this before" she stammered, breathing a little erratically and hoping Zidane would assume it was from the strain of keeping herself above water. "I only used the palace pool to learn, not for recreation."

"I'll bet there's a lot of things you've never done 'til you met me!" Zidane laughed, leaning back slightly so he could face the sky.

"And I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone either" Dagger told him firmly, only a slight joking tone in her voice.

She saw Zidane's smile even from his awkward position, "It'll be our little secret. Besides, I think Rusty really would kill me this time if he found out!"

"You shouldn't give him such a hard time" Dagger sighed, "He's just trying to do what he thinks is right. Just like you"

"Except I decide for myself what's right without blindly following orders"

Dagger let herself float in the water for a few minutes, pondering over Zidane's words. Her thoughts travelled back over their journey; from his promise to kidnap her in Alexandria to their discovery of this place – Madain Sari. She couldn't disagree that Zidane was head-strong, even to the extent where he'd left his only home and family to save her in Evil Forest.

"Is that why you came to save me?" she wondered out loud.

"Hmm?"

"Back in Evil Forest after the ship crashed and you left Tantalus, did you do so because it was the right thing to do? Or for some other reason?"

"Well," Zidane mused teasingly, leaning forward once more to face her, "the fact that you're super hot was the tie-breaker really!"

Dagger's half-hearted glare at his words made no impact as he continued to grin devilishly.

He continued, his face slowly turning serious as he spoke, "But yeah. I think I would have helped you no matter who you were. It was our fault you needed saving in the first place. We were supposed to keep you safe"

Zidane seemed to drift off into thought as he spoke, leaving Dagger to admire the view as he began floating in circles. His back was well muscled, the light tan of his skin still obvious in the moonlight. It made the thin scar over his shoulder blade she'd never noticed before stand out in shocking contrast with the rest of his skin.

"How did you get that?" Dagger gasped, surprised to see such a mark. Zidane looked over his shoulder to see her staring at his shoulder, and a wicked smile spread over his face. By the time he'd twirled in the water, coming round to face her, it had morphed into a deadly serious expression. "I was about fourteen years old. Me and the guys were raiding some snooty rich couple back in Treno when their guards spotted us. I stayed behind to distract them while the others ran for it, just me against half a dozen armoured sentries-"

"No. Really" Dagger interrupted, lifting one eyebrow in a manner she'd unconsciously adopted from the young man grinning in front of her.

"How'd you know I'm lying?" he mock protested.

Dagger gave him one hard look before answering. "Your tail always does that when you're lying" she informed him, nodding downwards. Zidane glanced behind him to see it swaying to and fro frantically under water, sending ripples around them both. His eyes widened in sudden realisation.

"_That's_ how the guys always knew!"

A burst of laughter exploded from Dagger's lips, no longer just a mild tinkering of bells which she'd always restrained to some level. This time, sheer amusement lit her features as Zidane blushed a pleasant pink.

"S'not that funny" he griped, unable to stop the smile spreading across his features at the light in her eyes.

"So how did you _really_ get it?" Dagger prodded, still chuckling.

Zidane rolled his eyes heavenward as if he were praying before he answered. His mumbled answer was inaudible at first, meaning Dagger had to swim closer to hear his voice as he repeated himself.

"I stole Cinna's bundt cake when I was ten. He didn't take it well..."

"So he scarred you!?" Dagger gasped, all amusement quickly draining away.

Zidane's brow creased into a frown at her reaction. She was looking at him strangely... with shock and... pity?

"It's just the way we are" he began to explain, feeling a little awkward. What was with her expression? "We always fight amongst ourselves so we're bound to get roughed up now and then. It's no big deal."

Dagger reached out suddenly, kicking her legs so she could reach the thin scar easily with her hand. One slim finger ran it's length, making Zidane shudder at the warm contact.

"I'd once have considered something like that... barbarous" she admitted quietly.

Zidane shrugged as best he could while using his arms to keep himself afloat. "It's just guy stuff. You know"

Behind him Dagger exhaled heavily, her hand dropping away from his skin. Zidane still felt the trace of her fingertips in hot lines across his shoulder blade and realised he missed the light contact.

"Well, maybe... not" he continued awkwardly when he realised Dagger had nothing to say. Recently, he'd found it so easy to forget that she had grown up in a completely different world. No, not Dagger. Garnet. Dagger was the girl he knew, the girl he was swimming with now and travelled with everyday.

He bit back a frustrated grunt. He knew what he was doing was wrong – stupid even. He was falling for a girl who didn't really exist. 'Dagger' was just Garnet's alter-ego for their journey. He knew that sooner or later, she'd have to return to her place as Alexandrian Royalty and he would be forgotten about. Probably replaced by some rich Noble or pompous Lord...

An aura of sadness overwhelmed him then, making the atmosphere between them shift dramatically from pleasantly calm to just plain awkward. _'What are you doing!?' _his brain scolded him, _'She's a Princess and you're... you're... her __kidnapper__!'. _

It had sounded so romantic in his head. Virtuous thief kidnaps beautiful princess and steals her heart. It was the sort of thing Ruby used to write for her plays when she got sick of performing the same old ones over and over.

"We er, should probably swim back" Zidane eventually forced himself to utter.

Dagger, who'd been waiting patiently for him to come out of his short reverie blinked in bewilderment. Hadn't it been his idea to swim out here? Perhaps she had insulted him earlier when talking about his family.

That had to be it – she'd practically labelled them all barbarians with her foolish comment!

"I'm sorry!" she blurted out suddenly, not realising she was about to apologies until the words fell from her tongue.

To Zidane's credit, he was able to smile his usual mischievous grin regardless of the near painful realisation he'd just had. "Why?"

"I didn't mean to insult you" Dagger replied, her dark brown eyes wide with genuine remorse, "I just meant to say that... I was never allowed to... to 'play rough' as a child myself and so I didn't understa-"

Zidane snorted loudly as he listened to her ramble. It was cute, the way her eyebrows lifted and created small worry lines across her brow when she was upset. It was even cuter when her nose wrinkled whenever she was annoyed or angry-

Oh dear.

"_Excuse_ _me_!" she snapped, trying to muster as much dignity as she could while keeping herself afloat in the middle of the ocean, "I'm attempting to apologise here and your rude interruptions are uncalled for!"

Zidane only laughed harder as she grew visibly more and more annoyed. "Relax!" he said with a roll of his eyes, "You know, whenever you're angry that royal tone comes back into your voice! I suppose you can take the princess out of the palace..."

"Well how would _you _express your displeasure? Rough play and scarring each other aside!"

"Ouch" Zidane groaned, "that was a low blow Dag"

The young woman sniffed disdainfully, "You know what you are, Zidane Tribal?"

"Devilishly charming? Handsome? Brave?"

"You... are _impossible_!"

A second passed in absolute silence before Zidane swallowed a mouthful of water as thunderous laughter escaped him. Of all the things he'd been called in his life! 'Impossible' – that was the best she could come up with!

"Oh, I've had enough of this foolishness. _Goodnight_!"

And with that, she began swimming away into the darkness. Zidane attempted to follow her, but found himself having to stop and resurface every few seconds when he inadvertently snorted underwater and downed more of the bitter substance.

By the time he'd managed to reach the caved boat dock, Dagger was long gone. His clothes lay in a sodden mess where he'd left them and he could just make out the drying footprints she'd left behind. Pulling himself back onto the walkway he reached for his attire, only to stop dead when he heard a tiny, high-pitched gasp coming somewhere from the entrance.

"Vivi?" he called, thinking the young mage must have woken in the night.

The only reply he received was a muffled giggle that floated down to him between the the stone walls. Vivi didn't giggle like that...

"Eiko!" he suddenly exclaimed, his hands shooting downwards to cover himself.

The sound of small, booted feet echoed in the distance as she quickly ran back to her home, leaving Zidane to curse into the darkness. Why couldn't he and Dagger ever get some real alone time? Though, he supposed, she might not even want to talk to him now after his chuckle-fit.

He knew he should probably go and apologise. He had forgotten how temperamental she could be! It had been quite a feat to simply bathe with her like he had without Dagger freaking out and hitting him with some of her more offensive white magics.

"Dammit" he sighed, buckling his belt tightly around his middle. His shirt and waist coat were thrown over his shoulder as he exited the cave and made his way up the rickety wooden steps towards Eiko's house. The warm breeze was pleasant against his freshly cleaned skin, though the sandy ground was a little rough. He kept his boots in his hands, not wanting to slide his feet into them before they'd had a chance to dry.

It was as he made to enter the small area they'd all eaten at hours ago that he heard the familiar sound of a moogle's wings fluttering through the air.

"Kupo!"

"Hey... er..." Zidane scratched at his scalp, trying to spot some difference in this moogle from all the others he'd met so far in order to name him, "Mocha?"

"Moco" the tiny pink creature replied, its pink fur bristling with irritation, "I thought you'd like to know that your lady companion is rather distressed. She's at the Eidolon wall-"

"She is?" Zidane asked, surprised that she hadn't retreated to her room for the night. "Right. I'll go find her then... thanks fuzz-ball!" he called over his shoulder as he quickly set off toward the looming ruins at the opposite end of the village.

* * *

Disclaimer: I own no rights to Final Fantasy, its characters etc. All rights to Square :-)


	2. Chapter 2

Right Beside You

Part 2

Her figure was slumped sideways against the wall when he arrived, just another shadow against the stone. The looming image of one of the mural's Eidolons, its wings spread wide, was brilliantly illuminated by the moonlight, giving it an angel's glow. A guardian over the young summoner below.

Zidane paused in the entrance, quietly placing his wet garments on the ground. For Dagger's sake he pulled his damp shirt over his head even though it stuck to his body uncomfortably, the material was cold against his skin but he ignored it in favour of propriety. His shadow stretched across the ground and over the Eidolon wall as he walked forward, its path watched by moist brown eyes until it came to a stop beside her.

"You didn't need to follow me..." Dagger said softly, the tone of her voice oddly strained.

Zidane shrugged idly, relieved that she wasn't angry any more, as one finger came up to re-arrange the loose collar of his shirt, "I don't just walk away when someone needs help. It's not in my nature."

Dagger's weary expression was transformed into a tolerable smile by his words. '_Typical Zidane'_. "I'm hardly in need of your help" she told him, though her voice was gentle and not reprimanding. Her companion took this as a sign that he was free to stay (since she wasn't demanding he leave) and so, once again, sat by her side, bringing his knees up to rest his elbows upon them.

He exhaled slowly before he spoke again, "Aren't you? There's all sorts of reasons to help someone. It's not just limited to... oh, a daring rescue for example"

The chuckle he was expecting was replaced by a heavy sigh as Dagger finally turned to rest her back against the wall. They were sat less then an arms reach from each other and Zidane could clearly see her pale, withdrawn features looking bleakly at the ground.

He cleared his throat, "You know, I was expecting you to still be mad at me... I'm er, sorry I laughed at you..."

The pause following his words was heavy with tension, leaving Zidane to wonder if his apology was misguided. He cleared his throat and slid his feet back and forth on the ground.

Finally Dagger spoke, "I'm not angry with you..."

"You're not? I thought, what with the yelling and storming off..."

Zidane's face was turned to examine Dagger's partially concealed expression. He was surprised by how much sadness he saw in her features. True, she had carried her sorrow plainly over the past few weeks, but there was something different about her tonight. Perhaps she too had endured an unpleasant epiphany of sorts.

"I think... I was angry at _myself_. I apologise for taking it on you the way I did" she told him slowly.

Zidane quickly interrupted with a short, dry laugh, "No. I know I can be insensitive sometimes. Perhaps I should be more careful when I'm around someone who can have me locked away in a dungeon on a whim!"

His little joke didn't go over as well as he'd hoped. In fact, Zidane was quickly wishing he could stop the flow of time, travel back an hour or so and completely redo their conversation. It always seemed that whenever things were going well between them, he had to go and say something stupid to ruin the moment!

Dagger's face scrunched into what Zidane interpreted as fury... until she suddenly burst into noisy tears. Crumpling over, she came to rest her forehead on her knees, her hands coming up to tangle in her own hair.

"I was joking!" Zidane exclaimed, shuffling closer to rest an uncomfortable arm around her shoulders, "Please don't cry Dag! I didn't mean... _I take it back!_"

He was completely clueless as to what had set her off this time. Zidane had never been this bad with women before and momentarily began to worry that he was slipping. Of course, all thoughts were forced from his mind when Dagger suddenly lurched sideways, attaching herself to his side and burying her face against his chest. She sobbed like a child who'd lost her mother-

"Oh" Zidane sighed, suddenly realising what had upset her.

Dagger couldn't have him locked away in a dungeon even if she were so inclined, because she had none. Or rather, she had no castle, no authority. Dagger had been betrayed by the woman she'd called 'mother' and lost everything. She didn't belong anywhere any more...

But her earlier words still confused him. Why would she be angry at herself?

Now was not the time to ask. Instead, Zidane did all he could think to do as he wrapped both arms around her slight figure and did his best to comfort her. He kept his mouth shut while she cried, so as to make sure he didn't say anything else to make the situation worse.

Eventually the sobs subsided. Dagger remained pressed into Zidane's form with such stillness that the young thief began to think she'd fallen asleep. That is, until she spoke. Her voice was hoarse and barely more then a whisper, but her words were enough to set his heart beating like a caged bird.

"I think you're the only thing I have now. You're all I can trust any more... isn't that funny?"

Swallowing hard (and hoping she couldn't detect his racing heart) Zidane replied softly, "Are you insinuating something about my character?"

Dagger's laugh was hidden by a sigh, but Zidane was still happy to hear it. "I just mean... everything I was raised to believe is a lie. Yet, the things I'd thought were... beneath me" she said the words apologetically, keeping her eyes pinned to the floor, "they're all I have left. I imagined my life to be so different. Better then anyone else's would ever be. I thought one day I would marry a Noble, have children and go about my duties as Queen... I never thought I'd be _here._"

Zidane new what she meant as she laid so much emphasis on that last word. 'Here' was more then in the arms of a peasant on a foreign island. 'Here' was... well, fighting her own country, being stripped of her regal privileges, discovering her own lost lineage while losing everything else.

"I think I understand how Eiko must feel" she continued weakly, "I've never felt so alone..."

Zidane's hand, which had subconsciously been running through Dagger's damp hair, stilled as she spoke. "You're not" he told her firmly. "You've got Steiner and Beatrix fighting for you – _with_ you – Vivi, Freya, Cid and the people of Lindblum... and me. You'll... always have me, if you want that is."

Dagger finally sat upright, her reddened eyes coming up to meet a pair of bright blue ones that were studying her expression carefully. She smiled, feeling strangely calm after her short break-down. The words he'd told her before sunset - when they'd first discovered the small caved dock - echoed back to both of them in the silence. It was Ipsen's story...

_Why did you come with me?_

_Because I wanted to..._

"If there's anything to be glad for that's come out of this... mess, it's that I got to meet people like you, Zidane" she told him honestly, "I never realised how empty of meaning my life was before this."

"You too huh?" Zidane grinned, "You know... I still don't get why you were mad earlier?"

He spoke delicately, unsure if she was stable enough to answer him again. Dagger carefully pulled away from him, missing the way he flinched as he stop himself from reaching out for her again. He knew better then to push his luck.

"I think... you helped me realise that I never really had anything to begin with" she said flatly, not meeting his gaze.

Zidane, however, looked at her with bewilderment, "You had nothing? Dagger, you had money and prestige and... security..."

The look she gave him was filled with conflicting emotions. "I thought _you_ would understand" she stressed. Had Zidane paused for thought, he may have understood what she meant. Instead he found his mouth doing what it usually did; running off without his brain attached.

"I'm trying!" He groaned, rolling his eyes heavenward, "I'm sorry Dag. But I know what it means to have _nothing. _Living off the streets, stealing and fighting just to eat-"

"But you weren't _alone_ were you?" Dagger suddenly cried, jumping to her feet so she could tower over him with her fisted hands on her hips, "You had the others to take care of you. You had _family_ Zidane. At least you could go to sleep at night knowing you had people who loved you! How would you feel to find out it was all a deception?"

This time it was Zidane's turn to be angry, "Have you forgotten already what I told you that night at the Black Mage Village? You act like you're the only person to have suffered-"

His hand shot out to cover Dagger's mouth as she opened it to argue. She glared up at him darkly, but Zidane simply continued before she could react; his voice lowered but filled with an earnest desire to be understood for once. "I'm not saying that haven't you've been through more then any person ever deserves, but I've just told you you're _not_ alone any more. All of us are here for you now! I'm sorry you lost both your mothers. Hey, I don't even know _where _I was born, let alone who to! You just... you just have to keep going Dag. Because if you stop, and you look back and begin to wallow in all your regrets and all the pain... you don't want to go there Dagger. You just don't."

By the end of his short tirade, Zidane's eyes were filled with such pleading and despair that Dagger felt herself shrink away from him in shame. His was a look she'd seen before in so many people's faces: Vivi, Eiko, Freya... and even in her own reflection. Perhaps she was being selfish. Everyone she had met had their own pain to deal with. This was everyone's journey. Not just hers.

Zidane's hand pulled back. Neither of them needed to speak to know they were both sorry for their words. The silence still left a thick blanket of uneasy tension between them however.

"Your friends are very lucky to have you..." Dagger began, blushing pink, "_I'm _lucky to have you. I'll make you a promise: no more wallowing."

Her unsure smile widened as Zidane's face cracked into his usual easy grin. There really wasn't much that kept him down for long.

"Promise!" he winked, before deftly leaning down and planting the lightest trace of a kiss upon Dagger's lips.

She jumped, fingers flying up to brush against the skin his mouth had just left as she stared incredulously. Zidane, however, simply chuckled.

"That's how we seal a promise where I come from!" he told her.

"Oh?" she asked with raised eyebrows. Her eyes narrowed and shone with a mischievousness glow, "Is the same ritual applied with Cinna, Marcus and the others?"

Zidane was taken aback by her question but was able to hide his surprise with a casual smirk and a wave of his hand, "Jealous?" he joked.

Dagger snorted, raising both hands to cover her mouth and looking to Zidane with wide eyes. She couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed so openly. She couldn't remember anyone ever letting her feel this way without a reprimand either.

Slowly, a pinkish line began to appear on the horizon. Gaia's sun was finally rising once again, ready to begin a new day. Wordlessly holding out his hand, Zidane didn't need to wait for Dagger to slide her fingers between his as they left the Eidolon Wall. He new the moment was special, that it would probably never happen again. It made the sunrise bitter-sweet. With each step back towards Eiko's home they knew they were walking away from the night they'd shared; the secrets and truths they'd finally had to face up to. Dagger's cheeks still remained a flushed shade of pink as their hands swung casually together, and Zidane's thumb was brushing the back of her hand every few seconds as if to check that she was still there.

Dagger found herself peering over her shoulder and thinking back to when they'd been floating in the ocean, the Eidolon Wall was beginning to glow in shades of red and orange as the sun slowly crept higher into the sky. For the few minutes she held onto Zidane's hand, all her confusion just seemed to disappear. She was feeling something new, something foreign. Belonging.

"I think I shall return here, someday" she thought out-loud. Beside her, Zidane squeezed her hand.

"You will. We both will."

* * *

Laughed with you enough to know  
Just how I want to feel  
I've been with you enough to know  
Just why I need you  
Baby I'm right beside you

All I need is a little more of you  
All I need is a little more of you  
All I need it a little more of you to go on

Take a chance and open the door to me  
Just let me in open your eyes and see  
Baby I'm right beside you  
I'm right beside you  
I'm right beside you

All I need is a little more of you  
All I need is a little more of you  
All I need it a little more of you to go on

I'm right beside you

* * *

Disclaimer: All rights to Square. Lyrics - Ashley Chambliss "A little more of you"

A/N: FF9 fans know what happens next (Kuja and Bahamut vs Brahne). Makes it a little sad, don't you think...


End file.
